Mobile antenna



June 27, 1950 A SPRlGG 2,513,116

MOBILE ANTENNA Filed Oct. 23, 1947 V INVENTOR.

EDWARD A. SPRIGG ATTOR NEYS QZWMMQWMM Patented June 27, 1950 2,513,116 MOBILE ANTENNA Edward A. Sprigg, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to H. H. Buggie & Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application October 23, 1947, Serial No. 781,531

3 Claims;

This invention relates to mobile antennas such as are employed with radio receivers and transmitters mounted on vehicles such as automobiles, tanks, patrol cars, etc., and in other movable installations such as on motor boats.

A mobile antenna for use on an automotive vehicle, for example, prefer-ably should be provided with means for rapid mounting and demounting and since it may be necessary to mount the antenna on a portion of the vehicle to which interior access may be difiicult, it preferably should be both mountable and demountable from th exterior of a vehicle. Because an exteriorly mounted mobile antenna is exposed to the elements, both its mounting joints and the joints or connections in th antenna itself must be water-proof and proof to penetration of sand and dust.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a mobile antenna which can b mounted in a single mounting hole bored or otherwise pierced through the exterior skin of a vehicle.

It is another object of this invention to provide a mobile antenna which can be mounted on or demounted from a vehicle working entirely from the exterior of the vehicle.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a mobile antenna which is water-tight and in which the antenna whip itself can easily be removed and replaced if damaged, without disconnecting the antenna mounting base or the electrical connections.

More specific objects and advantages will be apparent from the drawings, in which:

Figure I is a view in elevation on an enlarged scaleof a mobile antenna embodying the invention.

Figure 11 is a greatly enlarged vertical sectional view of the mobile antenna shown in Figure I.

Figure III is a horizontal sectional View taken substantially on the line 3--3 of Figure II and shown on a smaller scale.

A mobile antenna embodying the invention comprises among other parts a flanged body I which has a vertical center bore 2, a counterbore 3 of larger diameter and concentric with the center bore 2 and a sharp ridge 4 formed on the undersurface of the flanged portion of the body I. A vertically bored nipple 5 is welded or otherwise secured in the lower portion of the bore 2 and has a self-cutting thread 6 formed on its exterior periphery. The nipple '5 being fixedly secured to the body I serves to hold the body I tightly against the exterior of a sheet of metal I forming the skin of the vehicle on which the mobile antenna is mounted.

The body I is mounted on the vehicle b first drilling a hole 8 of proper diameter through the skin I of the vehicle. An annular gasket '9 made of rubber or a somewhat resilient synthetic material is placed around the hole 8 and then the lowermost end of the nipple 5 is inserted into the hole 8. By rotating the body I the self-cutting thread *6 is threaded downwardly through the hole 3 pulling the body I tightly against the surface of the metal I and compressing the annular gasket 9 tightly between the flanged portion of the body I and the exterior surface of the metal skin I-. The body I is provided with oppositely located flats II] to simplify rotating the body by means of a wrench or other implement to permit it to be tightly clamped downwardly on the gasket 9.

A short piece of tubing II, the upper end of which is outwardly flanged, is then dropped down through the bore 2 and the center bore of the nipple 5 and bent to form a right angle elbow or, if preferred, the tubing II may be formed into an elbow before its upper end is flanged and before it is inserted into the center bore of th nipple 5. In this case the upper end of the elbow formed by the tubing I I is inserted upwardly into the nipple 5 and then flanged over, this being accomplished before th nipple 5 is threaded into the hole bored in the vehicle or at the time the members originally are manufactured.

'The electrical lead from an antenna usually consists of a coaxial cable, the outer shield of which is grounded and the central conductor of which is connected to the antenna itself and to the antenna input connection of the transmitter or receiver. Such a coaxial cable is illustrated in Figures I and II and consists of an outer insulator I2 made of rubber or some other flexible dielectric, a woven wire shield I3, an interior insulator I4, again made of rubber or similar material, and a central conductor I5. The upper end of the coaxial connector is prepared in the following manner for insertion in and connection to th mobile antenna. The outer insulator I2 is cut oif some distance short of the end of the conductor. The woven wire shield I3 is spread outwardly and bent over to overlie the flange formed on the upper end of the tubing I I. The interior insulator I4 extends vertically upwardly slightly beyond the turned over portion of the shield I3 and the main conductor I5 is left with a short exposed end. A spacer I 6 molded from synthetic material which is somewhat resilient and possessed of high dielectric properties is then dropped into the bore 2. The spacer I6 is centrally bored to form a small hole through 3 which the end of the conductor I 5 protrudes and is counterbored coaxially therewith to receive the upper end of the interior insulator l 4. A spacing annulus H is then placed atop the spacer I 5. A disk 18 of soft non-conducting material such as rubber or synthetic rubber is relieved to receive a metal C-clip R9, the lower arm of which is pierced to receive the upper end of the center conductor 15. The upper end of the conductor l5 may be flattened over into a hook which is ins serted through the hole in the arm of the clip I9. The clip [9 and disk is are inserted into the bore 2 fitting into the center of the annulus H. The elements which have thus far beenassembled in the center bore 2 of the body I form a flush flat upper surface and completely fill th lower portion of the bore 2 surrounding the upper end of the coaxial conductor and forming a connection to the central conductor I 5.

An antenna rod 20 has a ball 21 pressed on its upper end and a mounting plug 22 molded on'its lower end around a bulbous section 23 of the antenna rod 20 with a short rounded end 24 of the rod extending beneath the mounting plug 22. The mounting plug 22 is placed in the center bore 2 with the rounded end 24 of the antenna rod extending downwardly into contact with the upper arm of the C-clip 59. A softinsulating collar 25 is then placed around the neck of the mounting plug 22 and a metal collar 26 is assembled on top of the insulating collar 25. A vertically bored cap nut 21 is then dropped over the antenna rod 29 and the upper end of the mounting plug 22 and is threaded down tightly onto the body l. By tightening the cap nut 21 the various rubber and synthetic spacers and collars which have been assembled on the center bore 2 are compressed tightly against each other to completely fill the center bore, to tightly press i the lower spherical end 24 of the antenna rod ,20 against the C-clip l9 and, by deforming the spacers and collars, to tightly seal all of the parts assembled against penetration of moisture.

The structure thus provides for simple exterior mounting of the main body I with a moisture proof sealing against the metal skin of the vehicle, for the assembly of all parts within the body I from the exterior, and by means of a single cap nut 21, the water-proof final assembly of the entire structure. If the antenna rod 20 becomes damaged due to any cause so that'it is bent or broken, it may quickly and easily bereplaced by removing the cap nut 21, the collars and 25 and withdrawing the antenna 20 and its molded mounting plug 22 which then can be replaced with a similar assembly and the collars and cap nut replaced to reseal the device.

The embodiment of the invention which has been described may be modified to meet various requirements.

Having describedthe invention, I claim:

1. A mobile antenna comprising, in combination, a vertically bored body, a bored threaded nipple secured thereto in axial aligmnent'with said body, said nipple being adapted to be threaded in a simple drilled opening in the skin of the vehicle on which the antenna is to be mounted, an antenna rod having a mounting plug near its lower end said mounting plug being adapted to fit within the bore in said body, contactmeans removably pOsitioned in said bore for connecting a lead to said rod, spacers and gaskets within said bore and encompassing said contact means for sealing the same against moisture, and a cap nut having a central bore through which said antenna rod projects and threadably engaged with the upper portion of said body for closing said bore and sealing said mounting plug said spacers, said contact means and said gaskets within said bore.

2. A mobile antenna adapted to be mounted on the skin of a vehicle from the exterior comprising, in combination, a flanged, vertically bored body having a downwardly projecting exteriorly threaded nipple, said nipple being adapted to be mounted in a single drilled hole, an antenna rod having a mounting plug fitting the bore in said body, contacts insertable in said bore to electrically connect said antenna, gaskets fitting within said bore and encompassing said contacts and a cap nut having an axial bore through which said antenna rod extends, said cap nut be ing threaded onto the upper end of said body for compressing said gaskets around said contacts and against said bore for making the assembly thereof water anddust proof.

3. A mobile antenna comprising, in combination, a vertically extending antenna rod, a mounting .plug molded near the lower extremity of said rod, a flanged body having a vertical center bore of diameter equal to the diameter of said plug, a bored exteriorly threaded nipple secured to said body in axial alignment and extending downwardly therefrom, said nipple being adapted to be threaded in a drilled hole in the skin of the vehicle on which said antenna is mounted, a contact in said body engaged with a conductor led thereinto through said nipple, resilient spacers and gaskets in the bore in said body, and a cap nut threaded on said body and having a bore through which said antenna rod extends, for pressing said plug tightly in said bore, with the lower end'of said rod in engagement with said contact and said resilient spacers and gaskets compressed to seal said bore against moisture.

, EDWARD A. SPRIGG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

,UNITED STATES PATENTS Number :Name Date 1,008,485 Mezger Nov. 14, '1911 2,285,588 Kirkes June 9, 1942 2,444,189 Finneburgh June 29, 1948 

